Daytona Beach Turkey Run Notice

[mopar34]

Just received this today from a friend who is planning on going to the Turkey Run. Not sure if they got it from the host club or not, but thought I would pass it along.
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Did you see this?

[QUOTE]ATTENTION TURKEY RUN PARTICIPANTS

The Daytona Beach Police Department has advised us that the new owners of Belair Plaza at 2500 N. Atlantic Avenue will no longer allow "collector car" parking in their lots during the Turkey Run Weekend (November 22 thru 25, 2007).

Security guards will be posted at all entrances and will deny access to all "show car" type vehicles. The situation at Belair Plaza has deteriorated in recent years. There are no longer any organized activities there and no responsible party to pay the bill for security. Unfortunately, problems happen when hundreds of cars show up for an evening of Cruising and Burn-Outs.
In recent years the Belair Plaza parking lot has been filled to gridlock denying access to Belair Plaza's customers and emergency vehicles.

The new owners refuse to let that happen again this year and will be towing cars that violate their policy. Please be aware of this situation. If you must go to that area to cruise, please be use caution where you park. Your car may be towed.

NO TURKEYRUN ACTIVITIES ARE HELD IN THIS AREA !

All official nightime activites are held at the Daytona International Speedway only. [/QUOTE]

[hotroddaddy]

Well boo on them! I can understand some of the gripes the store owners have, but in all the years ive been there, it always seemed to bring in more customers, plus all the car owners bought stuff out of the stores, i always have. I think they should get with the tradition, and make it fun again!

[loctite]

That really stinks but I seen it coiming. I use to go to bike week and the locals really put up a fuss and the police started messing with everybody so alot of people stopped going.And for the last 4 years the locals and the police have been messing with the rod run and last year you could really tell. Alot of no shows and empty hotels. The police were really bad around the Belair plaza. As for the new owners of the Belair plaza, The stores were always full! The rodders kept Ruby tuesdays. Wallgreens the pizza place and grocey store full! Now lets see how they do. I have not seen alot of problems such as burnouts speeding and so on just lots of traffic. I have rooms at the La Playa across the street from the Belair but will be moving my resv to the Ramada across from the speedway. I only stayed there because of the cars at the plaza. I guess in a year or two the rod run will be just like biketoberfest and bike week. People do not want to spend alot of money on food rooms gas to be harassed by the police. With the lost of money from the 500000 bikeweek 340000 biketoberfest and the 200000 or so for the rod run it won't be long before the locals will have to make up the difference.

[mopar34]

Belair Plaza has always been a spot of contention. When I first went to the Turkey Run in 1995 there were always a lot of rods there and people attempting to either buy or sell a car or trade for one. It wasn't rowdy or overly noisy, traffic was horrible, but there were a lot of parking for the store visitors in addition to the rodders.

But as time went on, it did get worse. The police moved in to monitor in 1999and by 2001 they had closed off access to the lot. When the rodder crowd began to go elsewhere, the police relaxed their monitoring. I wasn't there last year, so I guess the "old days" are back and the police are now being pro-active again. It is a shame, cause you're right ... rodders do support the businesses there as well as the locals.

As for burnouts, I never experienced much of that near the Plaza mostly due to the gridlock in the streets. Most of the burnouts were several blocks south of the Plaza where traffic was heavy but not totally nuts.

[Itoldyouso]

Last year when I got home from Daytona I posted a comment that I thought the days of the Turkey Run were numbered. You could feel that it was just "different" and we have been going since 1982 or 83. Some locals told us that the residents were putting up a stink about it, and the police were responding to those complaints.

Bel Aire Plaza is being very short sighted. Yes, for 4 nights the plaza is filled with hot rods, but the stores and shops there benefit for 4 days of increased business from the people who jam the nearby hotels just to stay close to the plaza. You had to wait in line at any of the restaurants or stores in it because of all the foot traffic.

I know in my heart Turkey Run is going to go the way of Paso Robles in California..........it may still exist, but not in the same way it has for so many years. There is a new Chief of Police in town, and he is a real b*** buster. He was featured on a tv program I watched, and it said he is a tough NY cop who made his mark by cleaning up some town out west (in Kansas maybe) and then Daytona hired him away to do the same there. He is total no nonsense, and by the book.

We too are staying at the La Playa, and I will talk to the Kids tonight to see if they want to move our reservations to a hotel closer to the track. Another indicator that Turkey Run is slowing down is that we were able to get reservations at the La Playa as late as last week, and in previous years you had to book a year in advance.

This is truly sad, and I agree with Mopar34 that no burnouts were ever witnessed by me at the Plaza. Yes, some people did goose their cars a little, but the burnouts were happening way down the street and encouraged by specators at one hotel. The plaza was just some place neat to park and see lots of cars at one place.

The locals also told us the police are trying to do away with things like Spring Break, Bike Week, and the Turkey Run, to satisfy the year round residents. If that happens, Daytona's economy will nosedive. I know how much money we pour into it every year with food, lodging, gas, etc, and we are just one of the many thousands who go there. Sadly, it is a perfect location for his sort of event because there are so many other things to do while you are there.

Thank you for posting this valuable info.......................


Don

[loctite]

As I said in the other post I have canceled my resv at the Laplaya and moved to the Ramada that is right across the street from the track. Also a cheaper rate. I can walk to the swap meet from the hotel and at night to see the events. This might work out better. Also the woman at the Laplaya asked why I was canceling and after I told her she said she had alot of people had been calling about the Belair plaza deal. It is posted on the Turkey run web site. Seams alot more people are moving thier resv. to the track.

[Itoldyouso]

How were you able to cancel without a penalty. I just called them to do the same and they told me our credit card was already charged for the full 3 nights, and that we were not within the 30 day notice thing, so we would lose all of our money?

She said the decision by the Plaza was "just so wrong." Yep. I think I see a business opportunity here. Have T shirts printed up with "BOYCOTT BEL AIRE PLAZA" on them. I bet you would make a fortune........I'd buy 3 of them.

Don

[loctite]

They told me the same thing. 30 day notice. But I talked to the main office and they said it was a 14 day notice and I should be able to cancel. The Laplaya jerk is telling everyone 30 days since he knows its pass that. From what have heard the laplaya may be empty that week. They are getting alot of cancelations. The Ramada where I switch to told me they are almost full and most resv were made today. Call the 800 # on the laplaya web site. The people that handle the resv are calling to see why this jerk at the laplaya is telling everyone that. And as always you can dispute the charges on your card.

[dixiedog]

Being a biker also, I have seen Daytona Beach deteriorate from the "welcome bikers" attitude from years past. The hotels hit us with 4 night minimums and astronomical room rates. Since Rossmeyer opened up his small city at the interstate I can see everything moving west from the coast.

With that said looks like I wont be patronizing belair plaza ever again.

[stovens]

It sad that all good things come to this end. The first few years of any event tend to be the best, because the profiteers haven't learned to gouged the paying customers and the events still have that raw goodness that draws more and more people each year. Here in the thriving metropolis of Petaluma, we had a beer tasting and chili cookoff. First years it was 15 bucks and 5 more for beer rights. second year like 18 and 22, last years 30 plus and more for beer and parking. Beer tasting went to 4 4oz tastes at 10 extra bucks. Crazy! We went out to a brew pub, bought chili for lunch, and several beers, were walking distance to home, and had a good time, for a lot less! I hope the shopping center revolts against the new owner. Big events like this in Daytona, are the bread and butter for lots of buisnesses, and that hotel sucks for gouging you guys and making up BS policies. Similar thing happened on the redwood run here in Northern California.